


What Happens in Bangkok (can chage your life forever)

by aural_stimulatn



Category: Birds of Prey (Comic), DCU - Comicverse
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-09
Updated: 2011-09-09
Packaged: 2017-10-23 13:38:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/250887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aural_stimulatn/pseuds/aural_stimulatn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Helena fights Shiva in Dinah's place, both of them have some time to reflect on the situation.  When they realize what's going on between them, they try to avoid disaster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Happens in Bangkok (can chage your life forever)

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place right after Issue #6 of BoP, Vol. 2

The flight home was uncomfortable for Helena, in many ways. Having Canary back on the team and sitting right across from her on the plane was a huge relief, of course, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Dinah was still not quite herself. She had been quiet on the way to the airport, quiet as they boarded the plane, and now, just minutes after takeoff, she slept deeply. Helena watched her, trying to read her body language—something Dinah always had, even when she was asleep. Her left arm finally out of the sling, both shoulders sagged evenly. Her arms hung freely over the side of her seat. Her torso slouched in the middle, and her head fell over to one side and slightly forward, mouth drooped open. Helena had never seen Dinah that vulnerable and fought the protective urge to cover her with a blanket. _She probably hasn’t fully slept in days,_ Helena thought, knowing that Dinah would never let her guard down while Sin was in danger.

“Ngggh, _Jesus_ ,” Helena swore under her breath as she shifted in her seat. She was pretty sure, after her fight with Shiva, that no part of her body wasn’t swollen and bruised and in _pain_. On the bright side, however, she still had all her teeth and only four broken ribs. She had expected worse. Still, a nineteen hour flight the day after the worst ass-kicking of her life seemed like needless punishment.

She thought back on her fight with Shiva, trying to remember it clearly. It wasn’t easy. She couldn’t recall throwing her drink in the warrior’s face, something Zinda recounted as the highlight of her trip. She didn’t remember yelling at Shiva, or challenging her to the fight.

She did remember praying; however, and she of course remembered Shiva’s first good blow to her face. But the rest of the fight blurred together, as if she was on autopilot. It was as if something else had control over her—a deep-seeded instinct to protect someone she cares about.

This team had taught Helena what it meant to belong, what it meant to have friends, and she knew that any one of them would be prepared to make a similar sacrifice for her. But, as she watched Dinah sleep, she knew that something was different this time. She’d been in love before—not many times, and it was not a word she used loosely, but she knew what it felt like, and she knew better than to try and deny it.

She also knew better than to express it out loud. Dinah was fresh off her divorce with Ollie, and then there was Babs. The two of them never explicitly came out and said they were dating, but it was the obvious given for years, and Helena was pretty sure it started before she was even part of the team. No one had ever questioned it; the relationship between their commander and their field leader had always seemed as natural as “Mom and Dad.” Or “Mom and Mom,” as it were. Helena had no idea why it ended, or why Dinah felt the need to go back to Ollie, but it didn’t matter. She had no right to complicate the situation.

Helena sighed. It really was that simple: her feelings for Dinah, wherever they were coming from, would stay her own secret. Hopefully, in time, they would dissolve. She closed her eyes, knowing she should also take this opportunity to sleep. Now that the Birds had reformed, a full night’s sleep would be a rare treat.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Dinah hung her necklace on its peg and flopped backward onto her bed. She debated briefly if she even had the energy to take the rest of her clothes off before crawling into bed. She’d slept pretty soundly on the plane, but her body still ached with fatigue.

The events of the past few days replayed in her head involuntarily, robbing her of the sleep she still wanted so badly. How could she have let herself get into such a vulnerable position? Dinah had put herself at risk before. But this time, this time she’d put Sin in danger, and Sin’s foster parents, and her teammates. She dreaded tomorrow’s debriefing, although Oracle probably already had a good idea of what had happened in Bangkok. She would prefer Babs to say a million hateful words than give her that one look of disappointment. But she would take it, because she knew she deserved it, especially for what she’d let happen to Helena.

 _Huntress_. No one ever accused the girl of lacking tenacity. Dinah would have laughed, if she wasn’t still so horrified by the mental image of Shiva going all meat tenderizer on one of her best friends. But there had been something different this time. Some look in Helena’s eyes triggered a reaction in her that scared her even more than Shiva’s fighting.

She knew she should leave it alone. It was bad timing, sure, but there never would be a good time for something like this. And whatever it was that was between them, Dinah knew she couldn’t stand to let it be the awkward, ugly elephant in the room forever. She reached over to her nightstand for her phone.

TXT to HB [1:47am] hey - you awake?

TXT from HB [1:48am] dont think i’ll ever sleep again. whats up?

TXT to HB [1:48am] we need to talk. coffee?

TXT from HB [1:49am] sure if u bring it. still immobile over here

TXT to HB [1:50am] will do, haha. see you in a few

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“So,” Helena said, breaking the awkward silence that lingered since Dinah had sat down, “We need to talk?”

Dinah nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. She averted her eyes from Helena, who hadn’t moved from her propped-up position on the couch across from her. Neither of them was really known for being quiet or reserved, but Dinah wanted to take a moment to choose her words carefully. “How are you feeling?”

Helena snorted. “Like I got the snot beat out of me, and not too different from when I saw you a few hours ago.”

Dinah didn’t need to look in Helena’s eyes to know the face she was making. Quizzical raised eyebrows, lips pressed together and turned sideways in a smirk. _She’s waiting._ Dinah sighed, nervously tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. It bounced back into her face almost immediately. “Yesterday I—” Dinah stopped herself, not sure how that sentence was supposed to end. “Helena, you—”

The awkward silence continued for a minute that felt like an hour, until each woman fully understood what the other was thinking. Some things didn’t need to be said out loud.

Dinah moved to the other couch and—carefully—took the seat next to Helena. She took Helena’s hand, interlocking their fingers. “This can’t happen, can it?”

Helena turned her head away, trying unsuccessfully to hide the tears that had sprung up unexpectedly in her eyes. “Definitely not,” she said, but her hand squeezed Dinah’s tighter.

Dinah used her free hand to tilt Helena’s chin back toward her, until finally, their eyes met. “I don’t want you to think this is some kind of rebound or—”

“I don’t,” Helena said, “But too many people could get hurt. We have our team to think about.”

“I know.” Dinah smiled. _Our team_. She loved hearing Helena talk like a leader. Somehow in this moment, after everything they’d been through, it suited her perfectly. Before she knew what she was doing, Dinah leaned in, closing the distance between Helena’s lips and her own.

Helena’s free hand tangled in the blonde hair at the base of Dinah’s neck, pulling her closer, taking the kiss deeper, just for a moment. When they broke, Helena laughed softly. “You’re not an easy person to say no to, are you?”

“I’m known for a lot of things,” Dinah said, smiling, “But that’s never been one of them.”

“So, what do we do now?”

Dinah sighed. “We get some sleep, then we report to Oracle. And _this_ ,” she waved her hand back and forth between them, “We have plenty of time to figure this out. When we’re not so tired. And beaten up. And likely to make mistakes.”

“Do you think we should tell you-know-who about—”

“It’s _Babs_ , Helena. She’ll figure it out before we say ‘hello’ tomorrow,” Dinah said, shifting uncomfortably.

“You okay with that?”

“It will work itself out.” Dinah looked at her watch and laughed. “You know, she’s expecting us in four-and-a-half hours.”

“Well, no use in me trying to move, I think this is about as comfortable as I’m going to get tonight,” Helena said as she eased back onto the pillows behind her.

Dinah cringed. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes, actually. Go get four hours of sleep and stop worrying about me.”

After a quiet moment, Dinah squeezed Helena’s hand, then stood. “Okay.”

“And Dinah?” Helena called after her as she reached the door. “Thanks for the … coffee.”

Dinah smiled wistfully. “Helena, I—”

“I know, Dinah. I know.”

They knew each other too well already.


End file.
